A Chinese Biographical Dictionary/Chu Hou-tsung
445 Chu Hou-tsung 朱厚熜. A.D. 1507-1566. Nephew of Chu Yu-t'ang, and paternal second cousin of Chu Hou-chao whom he succeeded in 1522 as eleventh Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He proved an autocratic ruler and was swayed by a series of worthless favourites, among whom Ch'ou Luan, Hsia Yen, and Yen Sung were the most infamous, to the exclusion of such men as Mao Ch'êng, Tang t'ing-ho, and Yang Shên. The north-west frontiers were constantly raided and Peking itself was in a state of siege more than once, while the Japanese, angry at the stoppage of trade, harried Kiangnan, Chehkiang and Fuhkien, and local and aboriginal risings were frequent. Audiences to officials were rare; large sums were spent on palaces and temples; while the Emperor, especially in his latter years, wasted much valuable time in seeking after the elixir of life. The growing weakness of the Court was shown by an attempt in 1542 to murder the Emperor while in a concubine's apartments. Canonised as 世宗肅皇帝.